Russia in winter is a breathtaking spectacle of colour. As the CEO of a travel company, I have the fortunate pleasure of visiting many of the destinations our tours explore, and with Moscow and St Petersburg featuring in brand new itineraries, it was time to discover the nation for myself.

How many of us have wanted to walk straight into the pages of our favourite books? While it might not be possible quite yet to experience the lives of the fictional heroes and heroines we’ve walked side by side through life with for a little while, and sometimes who’d want to (think of just about any character from a Stephen King novel).